Nad: Soldiers Sent on Foreign Missions Must Be Vaccinated against COVID-19

Bratislava, September 22 (TASR) – All professional soldiers who are sent on foreign missions will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19, said Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) following the Cabinet session on Wednesday, adding that this applies both to soldiers participating in foreign missions and those belonging to rapid deployment units.

“I’ve received letters from NATO and the individual defence ministers of countries in which our soldiers serve, asking us to ensure that our soldiers are vaccinated when they go there. We will respect that,” stated Nad. Soldiers belonging to rapid deployment units must also undergo inoculation as part of the vaccination scheme, said the minister, adding that this concerns thousands of members of the Slovak army.

According to Nad, the vaccination rate in the Slovak army amounts to some 56 percent. He wants to do his best to increase this figure.